Top Story: Agronomy harvest

As superintendent of Purdue University's Agronomy Center for Research and Education, Jim Beaty doesn't count his career in years. "I've been here for 25 growing seasons," said Beaty, who thinks this year's harvest might be the fastest he has seen at the West Lafayette operation.

"The crops matured early, and we've had three weeks of ideal, dry weather to get them out of the ground. I'd say this certainly feels like a record year. And now we've had two mornings of killing frost, which really forces the end to the growing season."